MLB Player News

France went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Friday's 9-2 win over the Orioles.

France has two homers, eight RBI and three doubles over his last 13 games, a span in which he's gone 16-for-45 (.356). The first baseman struggled for most of July, but he's getting back on track as the Mariners surge in pursuit of a wild-card spot. For the season, he's at a .256/.330/.384 slash line with nine homers, 46 RBI, 62 runs scored, one stolen base and 27 doubles through 112 games.

Rizzo (head) said Friday that he is aiming to ramp up his baseball activities within the next week, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Rizzo was placed on the injured list Aug. 3 due to post-concussion syndrome, stemming from a collision with Fernando Tatis back in late May. He has already played some catch and said he's been performing better in his concussion protocol tests. There's no exact timetable for Rizzo's return to the Yankees' active roster, but the veteran first baseman seems to be moving in an encouraging direction.

Abreu (back) remains out of the lineup Friday versus the Angels.

Abreu was held out of Thursday's series finale in Baltimore due to lower-back discomfort and needs at least one more day of rest and treatment. Astros manager Dusty Baker said an MRI showed nothing "too serious," per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. Jon Singleton will start at first base Friday and Yainer Diaz will serve as the Astros' designated hitter.

Mountcastle went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Astros.

It was his second homer of the series against Houston, and Mountcastle is batting .463 (19-for-41) during his active 12-game hitting streak. That surge has lifted his slash line to .268/.312/.479 with 15 homers, 53 RBI, 49 runs scored and three stolen bases over 84 games this season. As long as he keeps raking, manager Brandon Hyde will continue to keep Mountcastle in a prominent place in the Orioles' order -- he's been hitting second versus southpaws and fifth against righties in August.

Raley is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals.

Harold Ramirez will take a turn in the DH role as Tampa Bay goes righty-heavy versus the Cardinals and left-hander Matthew Liberatore. Raley has been excellent overall this year, but he continues to sit against most southpaws.

Abreu is absent from the Astros' lineup Thursday in Baltimore because of lower-back discomfort, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

It's Abreu's second absence in the past five games due to the injury. He will be re-evaluated when the team returns home this weekend for a three-game series versus the Angels. Jon Singleton is handling first base for Houston on Thursday.

Abreu is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Baltimore, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Abreu just had an off day Saturday after not previously having one since June 23. The Astros will roll with Jon Singleton at first base Thursday versus the Orioles.

Casas went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Royals.

Casas was scorching hot coming out of the All-Star break but has cooled off with just four hits over the last 22 at-bats. Two of those four hits were home runs, and he's up to 18 for the season.

Torkelson went 2-for-4 with a walk, two solo home runs and three runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Twins.

It was a three true outcomes night for Torkelson, as he struck out in his other two at-bats. The youngster was in a 2-for-23 slump before Wednesday, and that's kind of been par for the course this year. Torkelson has displayed good pop with 17 home runs, but he's also not making consistent contact with just a .225 batting average.

Solano was diagnosed with a mild MCL sprain in his right knee after undergoing an MRI on Wednesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Solano is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game in Detroit, but with the MRI on his knee coming back clean, the Twins are optimistic he'll avoid a long-term absence. Minnesota hasn't ruled out Solano requiring a trip to the injured list, however, but manager Rocco Baldelli said that the veteran utility man is considered day-to-day for the time being while he waits for the swelling in his ankle to subside, according to Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.